College of Engineering & Computer Science
Center for Broadening Participation in Engineering
2024 ENGINEERS WEEK & BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN ENGINEERING SUMMIT
February 19 - 23, 2024 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley 1201 W. University Dr., Edinburg, TX 78539
WELCOME FROM THE DEAN
Dear Participant, Welcome to the 2024 Engineers Week (E-Week) and to our 2nd Annual Broadening Participation in Engineering Summit, a key initiative of UTRGV’s Center for Broadening Participation in Engineering (CBPE) sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The CBPE’s goal is to increase the enrollment, retention, and advancement of Hispanics, particularly Latinas, in engineering. This year’s summit (hosted in conjunction with the 2024 E-Week) brings together key stakeholders from K-12, higher education, professional organizations, and industry/employers to share ideas and best practices for increasing the participation and success of Hispanics in Engineering.
With students being at the heart of our college, we are excited to have our engineering students participate in the summit and other E-Week activities including innovation challenge, poster contest, career development/networking, engineering professional organizations as well the Engineering Student Leadership Academy. This week, we also celebrate the success of our students (future engineers) with Outstanding Students’ awards, the success of our RGV engineers with an Outstanding Engineer award, and the success of our K12 partners (pipeline effort) with an Outstanding Teacher award. Our work with K-12 is key to inspiring the next generation of engineers through early exposure to engineering, with Girls' Day being an example of such efforts. Broadening the participation of Hispanics in engineering is crucial for strengthening the engineering workforce and the future of our nation. We are proud to be leading the nation in the education, inclusion, and professional preparation of Hispanics in engineering, our recent inaugural “Institution of the Year” award by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) is a testament to that. Thanks to our regional and national partners in this important effort, and thanks to the generous support of the NSF. Hope you all enjoy the warm RGV and summit. Sincerely,
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Melody Gonzales Executive Director White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics Topic Title
Kimberly Douglas, PhD Chief Research & Impact Officer Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Messages Matter: Effective Messages for Reaching Tomorrow’s Innovators
Thea Sahr Executive Deputy Director DiscoverE Messages Matter: Effective Messages for Reaching Tomorrow’s Innovators
Karen Horting, CAE, MBA Executive Director & CEO Society of Women Engineers (SWE) TOPIC
KEYNOTE SPEAKER BIOS Ms. Melody Gonzalez is the Executive Director of the White House Hispanic Initiative, driving education and equity goals in collaboration with federal agencies. With experience in the National Education Association and the Obama-Biden Administration, she brings expertise in advocacy and leadership. Originally from San Diego, California, Melody holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California San Diego and a Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University. Committed to public service, she strives to create a more equitable future for the nation. Dr. Kimberly Douglas as the Chief Research & Impact Officer at SHPE, leads research-based strategies to boost Hispanic representation and success in STEM. With 25+ years in engineering education, she excels in securing funding for initiatives supporting STEM student and faculty development. Kimberly's commitment to data-driven decision-making and fostering inclusivity, underscored by her Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion certificate from Cornell University, drives her collaborative partnerships and mentorship, aiming for sustainable solutions benefitting both the Hispanic community and the STEM workforce. Thea Sahr is the Executive Deputy Director at DiscoverE. She oversees all DiscoverE’s initiatives—Engineers Week, Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, Future City, and the Persist Series. Working with DiscoverE’s coalition of 100+ partners, Thea and her team develop customizable resources volunteers and educators can use to celebrate engineering and engage students. A particular focus of her work is dispelling STEM stereotypes and encouraging girls, students of color, and under-resourced youth to pursue STEM. This has led to her cocreating Design Squad, a Peabody award-winning PBS television series, and the research reports Engineer Your Life, Despite the Odds, and Messages Matter. Karen Horting has been the Executive Director and CEO of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) since December 31, 2013. With 20+ years of experience in sales, marketing, and fund development, as SWE's deputy executive director, she managed all fund development activities, including corporate membership and philanthropy. Before joining SWE in 2004, Karen led strategic planning and development at the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) and worked in marketing and fund development for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Karen's background also includes over a decade in the paint and coatings industry. She holds a B.S. in Biology from Northern Illinois University and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University.
SUMMIT AGENDA THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22nd 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
REGISTRATION/CHECK-IN
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Ballroom
WELCOME & INTRODUCTION Dr. Ala Qubbaj, Dean & PI, UTRGV , Dr. Luis Zayas, Provost, UTRGV ENGINEERING WEEK PROCLAMATION Ms. Ellie Torres, Commissioner Precinct 4, Hidalgo County RECOGNITIONS E-Week Poster Competition 2024 Girls Day (K-12) Engineering Design Outstanding Engineer Award Mr. Andres Palma, PE, President, Millenium Engineers Group Inc. KEYNOTE Ms. Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Ballroom
NETWORKING & BREAKFAST (Registration/Check-in)
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. WELCOME & INTRODUCTION KEYNOTE Dr. Kimberly Douglas, Chief Research & Innovation Officer, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Ms. Thea Sahr, Executive Deputy Director at DiscoverE Messages Matter: Effective Messages for Reaching Tomorrow’s Innovators
10:00 - 11:15 a.m.
INDUSTRY/EMPLOYERS PANEL Preparing a Diverse & Capable Engineering Workforce for the 21st Century Moderator Dr. Jacqueline El-Sayed, Executive Director, American Society of Engineering Education Panelists Ms. Beatriz Valencia Hernandez, Technical Recruiter, Idaho National Lab Mr. Eduardo A. Lopez, Principal Rocket Propulsion Engineer, The Boeing Company Ms. Katrin Leonard, Vice President, Raba Kistner, Inc. Ms. Melissa Escalante, SPS Data Engineer, General Motors Ms. Melissa Martinez, Project Engineer II, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Ms. Michael Lackner, R&D Engineer, Los Alamos National Laboratory
11:15 - 11:30 a.m. BREAK 11:30 – 1:30 p.m. RECOGNITIONS & LUNCHEON Engineering Student Leadership Academy K-12 Remarks Dr. Daniel King, Executive Director, Region One Education Service Center Outstanding Teacher Award Ms. Nelly Houston, Project Lead the Way, Engineering Teacher, The Science Academy KEYNOTE Ms. Karen Horting, Executive Director & CEO, Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
1:30 p.m.
CLOSING REMARKS
OUTSTANDING ENGINEER
Andres Palma, PE, President, Millenium Engineers Group Inc.
OUTSTANDING TEACHER
Nelly Houston, Project Lead the Way, Engineering Teacher, The Science Academy
OUTSTANDING STUDENTS Computer Science Daniel Masamba Ryan Luna Civil Engineering Nisha Sthapit Ernesto Jimenez Electrical & Computer Engineering Martin Carrillo Miguel Avila Kaichaung Zhang Laura Leal Anthony Garza Informatics & Engineering Systems Joanna Vargas Daniel Quiroz Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Vanessa Mendez Hernan Aparicio Carlo Zorola Gonzalez Edgar Turrubiates Mechanical Engineering Fabian Rodriguez Alberto Diaz Carlos Delgado
2024 ENGINEERING STUDENT LEADERSHIP ACADEMY Aibel Jose Alan Ruiz Alan Urteaga Alberto Sanchez Alejandro Galvan Alexandra Herrera Alicia Vargas Angel Rodriguez Antonio Medina Avery Lucio Brandon Ramirez Cesia Guzman Curtis Pena Dyana De Leon Elizondo Elizabeth Fletes Isaias Palacios Jade Mendieta Joaquin Garcia Jonathan Soto Jose Amaro Jose Ramirez Julian Arteaga Kaylynn Mercado Kennet Shahin
Lorena AstudilloLuis Eugenio Garza Lozano Marcelo Rodriguez Marcos Cancino Mario Flores Matthew Perez Maximiliano Vargas Miguel Angel Perez Reyes Miguel Garcia Miguel Olvera Ofelia Gomez Chacon Osvaldo Curiel Osvaldo Martinez Felix Pedro Dominguez Amaya Raul Ruiz Reynol Rodriguez Ryan Lopez Sebastian Silguero Sebastian Villanueva Sofia Ramirez Stephanie Moreno Virgilio Peraza Zurisadai Arriaga
INNOVAQUERO CHALLENGE WINNERS
OVERALL Puro-Inyiniring Christian Cobos Diego Flores Diego Gutierrez Francisco Esqueda
MOST INNOVATIVE T-R.E.C.S. Cassandra Peña Eric Espino Roberto Garcia Seth Garza-Lopez
GIRLS DAY (K-12)
(K-12) ENGINEERING DESIGN WINNERS
Alexis Rodriguez, Anissa Sanchez, Briana Sanchez, Jadelyn Tagle, Kayla Sanchez, Mikaela Rodriguez, Saray Perez
PROCLAMATION IN RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL ENGINEERS WEEK FEBRUARY 18 – 24, 2024
WHEREAS, Engineers use their scientific skills and specialized knowledge in creative and innovative ways to fulfill society’s needs; and WHEREAS, Engineers assist in solving major technological challenges of our time – from designing efficient building and infrastructure systems to rebuilding towns devastated by natural disasters; and WHEREAS, Engineering has been called the invisible or stealth profession because everything around us and things we use every day have been engineered in some way, yet we do not see the engineers behind the scenes at work demonstrating their unique skills; WHEREAS, Engineers Week promotes recognition among parents, teachers and students on the importance of a technical education with an emphasis on accelerated levels of math, science and technology literacy and motivates youth to pursue engineering careers in order to provide a diverse and vigorous engineering workforce; and WHEREAS, the 2024 Theme of National Engineers Week is Creating the Future which places an emphasis on producing renovating solutions to global challenges that impact future generations; and WHEREAS, this Commissioners Court wishes the community to partake in The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley College of Engineering and Computer Science fun filled activities set to take place during Engineers Week; and NOW THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED that the Hidalgo County Commissioners Court does hereby recognizes February 18th through February 24, 2023, as National Engineers Week. Approved this 20th day of February 2024.
POSTERS Civil Engineering Graduate Posters Syed Muhammad Bilal Haider, “Numerical Study of New Tuned Mass Friction Damper for Seismic Protection of Civil Structures”, Advisor: Dr. Amjadian Leonel Ramirez, Teresa Garza, “Affective Autonomous Mobility through Human-Computer Interaction: Facial Emotion Recognition and Autonomous Mobility Environment in CARLA Simulator”, Advisors: Dr. Nazari, Dr. Noruzoliaee Computer Science Undergraduate Posters Pending Graduate Posters Pending Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Posters Christian Arizpe, Martin Carrillo, Randolph Corteza, Gustavo Medrano, “Automated MOSFET Characterizer,” Advisor: Mr. Medina Victor Rivero, Eduardo Vazquez, “Dielectric Dispersion Detection System,” Advisor: Dr. Zhou Amanda Rodriguez, Giovana Castillo, Carlos Lopez, “Phased Array User Tracking System,” Advisor: Dr N Wongkasem Graduate Posters Ridma Tabassum, Pritu Parna Sarkar, “Improvement of laserinduced graphene-based electrochemical biosensors through graphene-conductive polymer ink coating for sensitive detection of alpha-fetoprotein,” Advisors: Dr Islam, Dr Ashraf Manufacturing Engineering Graduate Posters Carlo Zorola, “A Simulation Model Analysis in the US-Mexico Border,” Advisor: Dr. Moya
Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Posters Hana Elnahas, “Development of Pullulan/Ampicillin/Avocado Oil/ Clove Oil Fibrous Membranes and their Potential for Chronics Sinusitis Treatment,” Advisors: Dr. Javed, Dr. Lozano Samantha Garcia, Mia Adame, America Martinez, Curtis Pena, “Healthy and Defective Tapered Roller Bearing Temperature Metrics,” Advisor: Dr. Tarawneh Elizabeth Gamez and Intisar Zeina Qubbaj, “Design of Fibrous Membranes for Drug Delivery Applications Through EmulsionBased Systems,” Advisors: Dr. Padilla, Dr. Lozano Graduate Posters Julia Salas, Raul Garza, Annacaren Gutierrez, “In Situ Growth of Lead-Free Perovskite Crystals on Polyvinylpyrrolidone Fibers for Solar Cell Applications,” Advisors: Dr. Padilla, Dr. Lozano Cesar Sanchez, Diego De Leon, Julian Montoya, “N-GQDs/PANi Wearable Biosensor for Cortisol Detection in Human Sweet,” Advisors: Dr. Padilla, Dr. Lozano Jui Kharade, Valeria Sanchez, Victoria Zuniga, Fabian Rodriguez, “Study of Temperature Responsive 10,12-Tricosadiynoic Acid Embedded Polyurethane Fibers,” Advisor: Dr. Lozano Informatics and Engineering Systems Undergraduate Posters Alexandra Rodriguez, Sebastian Villanueva, “Joal Smart Indoor Irrigation System,” Engineering Technology Program Jorge Rodriguez, Cody bravo, “A Machine Learning Approach to detecting Malicious DGA Domains,” Cybersecurity Program Brandon Ramirez, Jade Mendieta, Jerry Gonzalez, “ResprioCare,” Engineering Technology Program
THANK YOU, PARTNERS!
Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Engineering Division of Engineering Education and Centers, (Award # 2217780).